My weekend with Serge Lutens and Coco Chanel

I spent the weekend with Serge Lutens and Coco Chanel... well, figuratively at least...

On Friday, I decided to have some fun at work and took Chypre Rouge with me to the gym. I put it on as I was leaving on my way to work, and some guy said, "Wow! What's that you were just spraying? It's really incredible." I said something about how I had probably put on too much, but he insisted on knowing what it was, so I told him. At work, nobody said a word about it. That was strange to me, because I think the drydown is fantastic--much better than the initial sweet blast. I thought if I was going to get a positive reaction, it would be after the scent had started to tone down a bit, but alas! It was not to be. Even so, by the time I left work, I was just about smelling the way I like.

Saturday, I went to see a film with a couple of friends, and I decided the Serge thing was working just fine, so I wore Cèdre. That is one of my favorite Lutens scents, and I was not disappointed. It has a good sillage, but it is, I think, a soft one. People seem to be aware of it, but they seem comfortable with it, as though it's nothing that needs to be spoken about. Still, I caught a few people breathing a little more deeply while I was near.

Sunday, I decided to follow through with my newish practice of wearing scents that are marketed to the women's side, so I put on one of my recent acquisitions, the beautifully green Chanel No. 19. I was going to a party for a friend of mine who is moving out of town, and on my way, I stopped to buy him a parting gift. The SA at the Nordstrom men's accessories counter said my scent seemed familiar, so I decided to tell him what it was. He immediately said, "That's it!" and added, "It seems to smell a little different on you; you really wear it well!" So I was in a pretty good mood after that, even though I know that SA's often say whatever they think you want to hear (though this was after he had made the sale). At the party, a couple of the women said they thought I smelled good, but they didn't seem to catch on about the scent being one they might have been wearing.

All that tends to support my theory that it really doesn't matter what kind of scent you wear, as long as you are confident that it smells good on you.

Today, Monday, I went back to Serge; this time I wore Douce Amère, also one of my favorites. It's quieter than either Chypre Rouge or Cèdre, staying a bit closer to my skin. To me, it's very comforting; still rich and warm, but not as opulent as the other two. I really like the gourmand feel that comes from the absinthe and subtle chocolate notes. I was cozy all day, in spite of the slight chill and rain.

All in all, I would say I've really enjoyed my extended weekend with Serge and Coco. Both are remarkable talents at the art of discerning scent design. I've always liked them both. I like them enough to feel I could be on a first-name basis with them right now.